Music and language in education

There have been a number of links established between music and language. As two of the major symbols systems developed by and specific to humans, music and language share a number of characteristics. For example, in their most natural form – i.e. song and spoken word – music and language share the same vehicle for expression, the voice, with a consequent emphasis on the aural medium; indeed the child's first experiences of music and language are often linked. This paper reviews a number of the perceived commonalities between music and language and discusses the implications these may have for education. The major concepts of music, those duration, dynamics, pitch, tone-colour and structure, are discussed in connection with the ways in which these may be utilised in order to foster linguistic competency.